We are approaching a significant shift in digital analytics, with Google phasing out third-party cookies next year. Organizations are facing the need to adapt and innovate.
One such innovation is server-side tracking, a solution where a server is placed in between your website and the marketing platforms that collect user information. All information from your users’ devices is sent to this secure server. With Server-Side Tracking, you have the full data control over the data you are collecting on your website.
Beyond adapting to cookie changes, server-side tracking also brings compelling benefits like first-party cookie tracking, resilience against cookie restrictions, improved data quality for accurate user behavior insights, and a strong commitment to privacy to comply with evolving regulations.
As Server-Side Tracking is so enticing, we have evaluated the most important tools on the market using this technology; JENTIS and sGTM from Google, as well as TAGGRS and stape.io, which both rely on and leverage Google’s technology.
This post breaks down the advantages of embracing server-side tracking, comparing how JENTIS, Google’s sGTM, TAGGRS, and stape.io contribute to creating a more resilient and privacy-conscious era in digital analytics.
We evaluate these tools based on the criteria in the table below, followed by more insights about these tools in the succeeding paragraphs.
JENTIS:
JENTIS, the comprehensive server-side platform from Austria, offers a seamless and efficient software-as-a-service for your tracking needs.
JENTIS offers one of the most advanced server-side tracking technologies on the market with features such as:
- Ready-to-use server-side tracking via their Tag Management System
- The ability to connect to popular CMPs with just a single click
- The integration of more than 100 marketing and analytics tools
- Ownership and utilization of raw website data independent of major tech platforms.
JENTIS is recommended for organizations that are looking for a full-scale solution with everything they need for their analytics tracking in a SaaS product.
sGTM and Google Cloud:
Server-side Google Tag Manager (sGTM) is a sophisticated solution that shifts the processing of tags and tracking events from the user’s browser to the server, offering enhanced data privacy, security, and performance. The Tag Management tool itself is free and is suitable for any company or agency that is looking for a tool that has a seamless integration with other Google technologies like Google Analytics, Google Ads etc.
Although the servers are not based in the EU, one of sGTM’s greatest features is that it allows the users to select which hosting provider to use for their server-side tagging.
The default option for hosting is a server-side GTM container. A solution that offers numerous benefits such as security through Google Cloud’s infrastructure which brings robust measures to protect data, great performance, and lastly, being part of Google’s ecosystem is something that is making it suitable for anyone who prefers to work with Google only products.
sGTM is recommended for organizations who have the time and resources to put into the migration from GTM client-side to GTM server-side and who are not concerned about the fact that Google’s servers are located in the US, making it a solution that isn’t 100% GDPR compliant.
TAGGRS:
TAGGRS is server-side tagging hosting provider that relies on Google’s technology and offers an alternative to hosting a GTM server on the Google Cloud Platform. TAGGRS offers attractive features such as having physical servers located in your country (instead of using a proxy for data routing) and competitive pricing. It can be a very good option for businesses that are in search of a low-cost solution with servers within the EU.
TAGGRS is for organizations who are not concerned about the fact that they will have to work with a hosting provider solution that isn’t housed under the same platform as their Tag Management tool.
stape.io:
Stape.io is a comprehensive server-side tagging hosting solution that also relies on Google’s technology and offers an alternative to hosting a GTM server on the Google Cloud Platform.
With its physical infrastructure hosted and managed within Google Cloud Secure Data Centers and utilizing the Google Cloud Platform technology, as well as using the Google Kubernetes Engine to ensure that all GTM Server containers are isolated from one another for security purposes, stape.io is another great tool for companies that, similarly to TAGGRS, are not concerned about the fact that they will have to work with a Tag Management tool that isn’t housed under the same platform as their hosting provider solution.
Stape.io is for ideal organizations that are looking for a technology that is based on Google’s solutions and has lower costs and an easier setup process.
Conclusion
As Google phases out third-party cookies, organizations need to be proactive and prepared for these upcoming changes.
Advance Metrics can help you approach this new era in digital analytics by emphasizing the importance of server-side tracking and the benefits it offers, as well as evaluating the tools currently available on the market.
Contact us to get more information on we can help you set up your analytics with server-side tracking!
